


Senior Pranks and Spray Paint

by itspastmybedtime



Series: The Real World:  Growing Up [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager Are Best Friends, Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager Fluff, Eremin AU Week, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, High School Student Eren Yeager, M/M, Male Friendship, Mentioned Erwin Smith, Mentioned Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Mentioned Marco Bott, Minor Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein, Modern Era, Painting, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Student Armin Arlert, they almost get arrested
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:01:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29584146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itspastmybedtime/pseuds/itspastmybedtime
Summary: basically eren and armin decide to do a 'senior prank' and get themselves in trouble, and they wind up getting help from mikasa and jean.  they cuddle at the end because why not.i love making mikasa and jean coparent eremin lolonce again, i ship them but i like to make my fics interpretive to their relationship.  although this one has more 'eremin' content (if that makes sense?)enjoy :)
Relationships: Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert & Jean Kirstein, Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager, Armin Arlert/Jean Kirstein, Jean Kirstein & Eren Yeager, Jean Kirstein/Eren Yeager, Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith, Mikasa Ackerman & Armin Arlert & Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Armin Arlert, Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Jean Kirstein
Series: The Real World:  Growing Up [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180151
Comments: 8
Kudos: 40





	Senior Pranks and Spray Paint

**Author's Note:**

> “Eren-”
> 
> “Armin-”
> 
> “Boys! Both of you shut up!” The teens stood up straight, whipping their heads to the loud shouting. They were so dead.

… 

“Doesn’t that sound like a great idea?!”

Armin looked up from his textbook, a tired expression on his face.

“It’s definitely an _idea_ , I’ll give you that.” Eren huffed and pulled up a chair next to Armin, causing the blonde to give him his full attention.

Currently they were in Eren’s kitchen; attempted study session number 56 failing to no one’s surprise. Eren’s parents were away on some sort of ‘business trip’- which confused Armin since he doesn’t remember the last time a business trip required Mrs. Yeager’s presence; but he didn’t say anything.

He assumed that Eren wanted him to sleepover the whole weekend; maybe have a small party. They regularly had sleepovers regardless of Eren’s parents being there or not, but Armin also assumed it meant more takeout pizza and cheap beer that Jean or Sasha managed to smuggle from somewhere.

What Armin was _not_ expecting was Eren trying to persuade him to perform some sort of ‘senior prank’ at their local highschool.

“C’mon, Min, it’s gonna be sick! I already bought the spray paint, and it’ll be super quick I swear!” He hasn’t seen Eren this excited since he found out he was one of the top candidates for their top college’s sports scholarship.

Honestly, Armin should have expected something so spontaneous from Eren on a Friday night. With Mikasa at her study group it seemed like the perfect timing.

Armin leaned back in his chair, looking around for the supposed spray paint. His eyes eventually landed on a clear plastic shopping bag, where the items were clearly visible; uncoincidentally their high school’s mascot colors.

“Why do you even want to do this?” Armin’s question made Eren groan, and he watched his friend jerk his body closer to his own.

“I already told you! Connie and Sasha made a bet with me, and whoever does the best senior prank gets the money in the pot.” Armin raised a nervous eyebrow at that. “And bragging rights.” Armin put his eyebrow down as Eren mumbled his last remark.

“Tell me, exactly how much money did you put into this?” Armin was afraid of Eren’s answer.

“We each have to put in fifty bucks.” Eren looked nervous to tell him this, but fifty bucks isn’t too bad, right?

“You’re doing this just to get $100?” Eren shook his head, making Armin more confused than he was before.

“ _Each of us_. That means Connie, Sasha, me and you-”

“Dude I didn’t even agree to any of this!” Eren laughed at Armin’s interruption and stood up, walking behind where Armin was still seated.

“We’re leaving soon, so put your jacket on.” He ruffled Armin’s hair, causing the blonde to stand up straight.

“I don’t even have fifty dollars. Eren you know money is tight right now.” Armin watched as his friend walked up his staircase, presumably to get his own coat. He heard Eren speak as he left the room.

“That’s why I’m doing it!” Eren laughed as he spoke, making Armin groan. Eren’s carefree personality had its pros and cons, and this was definitely a con.

Armin looked back at his textbook, still open to the page he nearly finished. Maybe he needed this. He was a senior and still obsessing over his grades like he hadn’t already applied to every school on his list.

Yeah, he could use some excitement once in a while. He put on his jacket and waited for Eren, who looked almost surprised that the blonde decided to go so willingly.

“Let’s do this.”

* * *

  
  


The walk to the school only took about seven minutes, but Armin was sure it had been hours. His thin jacket was not made for October weather, and holding a metal spray can did nothing but give his hands hypothermia.

“Over here!” Armin turned to where he heard Eren whisper-yell. He walked towards his friend, who put down the rest of the spray paint. The wall he decided to graffiti was easily seen from the school’s parking lot, but Armin assumed that Eren made that choice on purpose.

“What’re we gonna do?” Armin shook his violet red spray can after watching Eren do the same. Eren looked at the empty brick wall before answering.

“I don’t know, I was gonna do a bunch of dicks or something.”

“That’s it? All those summer art programs and _that’s_ what you’re using your talents on?” Eren looked offended, but was eager for Armin’s creativity. 

He took a step back, motioning for Armin to take control of the design. He watched as Armin shook his spray can and began to draw… a face? He continued to watch for a few minutes, the silence between them was met with the sounds of crickets and ruffling leaves.

He hasn’t seen the blonde so free and open in a long time; watching Armin spray paint was like watching a spider make its web. It made him happy.

He looked back at the now obvious portrait Armin attempted to paint. Principle Erwin Smith had distinct features, and Armin had chosen to highlight them in the worst ways. His square jaw and thick eyebrows were ridiculously out of proportion, and it was hysterical. As Armin stepped back, Eren took his place.

He shook his dark blue spray paint and began to make over accentuated shadows and contours all over the humongous head. He could hear Armin laughing behind him, and that only encouraged him to continue. Eren threw the blue can down, and replaced it with a pearl white. He took one more glance at the painting before spraying bright and bold letters underneath their principal's jaw.

Eren took a step back and took out his phone, taking a photo of his work. Once he put his phone back in his pocket, he looked at Armin for approval. He watched Armin’s face turn from calculating to absolute insanity. Armin grabbed his stomach as he cried laughing, causing Eren to follow suit.

“Eren you- you did _not_ write that!” Armin could barely breathe at this point.

“What- what do you mean?” Eren began wiping his own tears. “Mr. Smith and Mr. Ackerman _definitely_ have something going on!” He looked back at the words he painted before breaking into tears once more.

“Yeah but- but did you _have_ to put ‘I LUV LEVI’ with a heart?! I won’t be able to come to school on Monday!” Eren and Armin had fallen on the grass, the cold no longer bothering them.

They continued to laugh and lay on the ground until things got quiet, and they were able to look up at the stars. Armin liked moments like this, he felt loose. He was with Eren, having fun and relaxing. 

He can’t remember the last time he’s felt like this. Maybe this is what senior year is always supposed to feel like. Armin snuck a glance at the brunette, who was equally as entranced by the starry night above. Sometimes it felt like he could stare at Eren forever, especially in their current situation.

Sure, the school grounds was a funky location but-

“Minnie we gotta go.” Armin’s thoughts were cut off by Eren’s urgency. Eren doesn’t sound urgent unless he’s burnt his food or messed up a play in his football game. Armin raised an eyebrow and sat up as he watched Eren stand up, brushing off his pants.

“Why are we leaving all the sud- woah!” Eren grabbed Armin’s arm before he could finish, leaving the spray paint behind. He pulled the blonde up and dragged him around the corner until he felt they couldn’t be seen.

Armin opened his mouth as Eren brought his finger to his lips, motioning for the blonde to be quiet. Armin kept his mouth shut and felt Eren put his head next to his.

Armin began to feel nervous.

“There’s security guards, we need to get back.” Eren whispered his words so close to Armin’s ear it made him shiver. How the hell are they supposed to outrun security guards? Better question; how is _Armin_ supposed to outrun security guards?

Armin wished he could feel as thrilled about the risks as Eren did when he implied them. He wished he could be adventurous like Eren. But they wouldn’t be a pair if they didn’t balance each other out. Although Eren sounded urgent, he sounded excited and Armin didn’t know how he could be the same way. He was worried, trying to plan a way to get out without getting caught.

They stayed close and silent for a moment, trying to listen to footsteps or voices that were distant. After what felt like minutes, Eren pushed Armin closer to the wall and peered his head back to where they left their spray paint.

“Okay, I think they’re gone-”

“Hey, what do you two think you’re doin’?” The teens whipped their heads around, their eyes stung by the bright light that was brought to their faces. The rough voice made Eren take a few steps forward, putting himself slightly in front of the blonde.

“You kids better have a good reason you’re… Yeager?” Eren stood up straight, recognizing the voice. Armin looked over his friend’s shoulder, squinting at the man he was still unable to see.

“Hannes?” Eren sounded just as surprised as the guard did, and only then did Armin realize who the guard actually was. Hannes brought his flashlight to the ground, no longer needing to see who the culprits were.

“Arlert too? What the hell did you get yourselves into?” He gestured towards the wall, now surrounded by two other guards. Armin swallowed a lump in his throat.

Hannes was a family friend of sorts to the Yeagers, making him a family friend to Armin as well. Besides being the school’s security guard, he often made it to Eren’s football games or Mikasa’s soccer tournaments. Sometimes he even snuck Armin a free soda they kept in the custodian’s closet.

Somehow this connection made the blonde feel even worse.

Eren snuck his hand behind his back and grabbed Armin’s wrist. Armin knew what he was doing once he felt himself slowly being pulled. Once he heard Eren whisper ‘come on’, he stopped his friend’s movements, standing his ground.

The brunette turned and his eyes met Armin’s, who seemed to disagree with his plan to ‘make a break for it’. Their nonverbal conversation was silent, but loud in Armin’s head. They looked at each other for another moment before turning back to Hannes, who cleared his throat to get their attention.

When they looked up, they saw the other two guards standing next to Hannes. 

“Alright kids, what’s goin’ on?” Armin didn’t know the other two guards, but he wasn’t in the mood to get friendly. Eren didn’t seem to be either; Armin could feel the grip on his wrist tightening.

“Relax, Forman. I know them, they’re good kids-”

“They’re graffiting private property. I’m callin’ the cops.” Hannes’ weak defense didn’t seem to be of much help.

The blonde man looked at the teens with a regretful expression, the guilt bearing Armin’s shoulders like a mountain of cement. Eren didn’t seem to share Armin’s guilt, as the blonde watched him stand up tall and bark at the guards.

“That’s fucked up! You can’t call the cops just because we got a little paint on the wall!” Eren took a step forward as he spoke, yelling directly at one of the guards in particular. Armin raised his eyebrows and gawked at his friend, utterly speechless.

They did a little more than ‘get a little paint on the wall’; they publicly shamed their principle and kicked him out of the closet. No amount of passionate yelling would get Eren out of this one.

Armin sighed and put himself directly next to his friend, who’s grip couldn’t get any tighter if he tried.

“Sir, I’m sorry about our vandalism. I was the one who drew the head, it was my idea to do it.” Eren let go of Armin’s wrist, turning fully towards him.

“Dude?! It was _my_ idea to spray paint in the first place, what are you doing?!” Eren always seemed to have a glare on his face when he got too excited, but Armin always knew the difference between his ‘pissed off’ glare and his ‘worried’ glare. At the moment it was a combination of the two.

Armin brought his head closer to Eren’s, whispering in his ear.

“Hannes will put all the blame on you if this continues, it’s okay-”

“No! I got you into this, just let me handle this-”

“Eren-”

“Armin-”

“Boys! Both of you shut up!” The teens stood up straight, whipping their heads to the loud shouting. They were so dead.

The third guard, though silent, began mumbling into his walkie-talkie. They could hear him asking for police reinforcement, and that made Armin break into a sweat. This caught Eren’s attention, and he turned to the lanky man.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Eren’s shouting got everyone’s attention, especially the guard he was referring to. He didn’t look very impressed.

“I don’t have to answer you, punk.” Armin didn’t like how heated the situation was getting. It was bad enough that the police were on their way, did Eren really have to be shouting at the security guards?

Hannes, bless his heart, made his way in between the two other guards and Eren, who looked ready to get physical. Armin could only follow suit in Hannes’ attempt to make peace, and grabbed Eren’s upper arm and pulled him back.

“Everyone calm down!” Hannes turned to the boys. “Look, we have to call the cops due to protocol. If you’re _nice_ -” He eyes Eren in particular, making him scowl. “-they’ll probably let you off with a warning. So just sit tight until they get here.”

Eren sighed and stepped further back, getting closer to Armin. The other guards grunted, stepping back as well. Hannes looked the boys up and down, before turning to the men behind him.

“You guys can go home, I’ll watch them from here.” The two accusingly raised their eyebrows, making Hannes roll his eyes. “They’re not gonna go anywhere, I’ll let the police handle them when they get here. Just trust me, okay?” Eren and Armin blushed at his words, feeling embarrassed.

The other guards looked at the boys, at each other, then walked away shortly after. Hannes motioned for the teens to follow him towards the front of the school, where the police were going to be any minute.

Eren sat on the curb with Armin still holding his arm. He watched Hannes look into the street, waiting for the police to arrive. He felt his friend shiver next to him.

“You still cold?” Eren was quiet, but Armin could hear him.

“Yeah I guess. How’d you know?” Eren smirked and turned towards him, looking at the ground.

“You’ve been shaking this whole time. I’m surprised you’re not a giant ice cube by now.” Armin scoffed, taking his arms off of Eren. He mumbled a ‘whatever’ before hugging his own legs.

Eren looked him up and down before wordlessly unzipping his coat. He took it off and put it around his friend before the blonde could protest.

“I don’t need it, plus I’m pretty sure you’re wearing my old shirt, so you might as well have the jacket too.” Armin looked down at the small amount of collar that peaked through his own jacket. Thinking about it now, last year Eren had given him a bunch of old clothes that hadn’t fit him anymore. Most of the items being random t-shirts or jeans that Eren’s mom insisted he needed, not wanting any good clothes going to waste.

Armin met Eren’s eyes before snickering, causing the latter to do the same. Hannes turned around at the sudden noise, and opened his mouth to speak until bright blue and red lights caught his attention.

The three looked up, and watched as the police car pulled into the school’s parking lot. Eren brought himself closer to Armin, eyeing the police officer who climbed out of the front seat. He walked over to Hannes, not even glancing at the teens sitting a foot away.

“Don’t go too hard on them, they got a little carried away with some spray paint.” Hannes nodded his head towards the boys, gesturing them to stand up. They followed suit, Eren crossing his arms while Armin wrapped Eren’s coat around himself.

“Are you pressing any charges?” The officer gave no personality, and Armin couldn’t tell if that was good or bad. The man looked boring to say the least; his brown hair and receding hairline being covered by his hat. His build was similar to Hannes, although a tad smaller.

Hannes looked back at the painting and back at the boys. He shook his head trying to get rid of his smile.

“No, I don’t think that’ll be necessary; I’ll take care of it. Just get them back home, and make sure their parents know what they’ve been up to.” Hannes smirked, raising his eyebrow at the boys. They looked away, blushing for the second time that night.

“Alright, you boys got an address I can take you to?” The boys looked at each other, before Eren took a step towards the officer.

“Is it okay if I call… My mom first? To let her know we’re on our way?” Eren was horrible at lying, but the officer didn’t seem to care. He nodded his head turned back to Hannes, who seemed to be intrigued with the portrait that must’ve been dry by now. Cleaning it off was gonna be a bitch.

Eren put his back to the men, pulling Armin with him as well. He watched as Eren pulled out his phone, going to Mikasa’s contact. Armin gave Eren a confused look, prompting him to explain.

“We can’t go back to my place, my parents aren’t home. If we go to your place your grandpa might skin me alive.” Armin rolled his eyes at that. His grandpa couldn’t hate Eren even if he burned their house down. “So I’m calling Mikasa- she’s with her study group and should be able to help us out. If not for me, then for you.” Armin didn’t say anything, letting Eren go about his plan.

Armin was pretty impressed, Eren could be quick witted when he wanted to be. Eren looked back at the officer, who was distracted by the painting along with Hannes. He lowered his voice once he heard his sister answer the phone.

“Hey Kasa, I need a favor… yeah he’s with me… yeah we’re in trouble… No, don't come here! Just listen to me-” Eren started pacing, and Armin watched him go in circles as he continued to talk on the phone.

A breeze came by as Eren continued to walk, but he didn’t seem bothered. Armin didn’t get how Eren could be so warm all the time, even if it’s freezing. He put his arms inside Eren’s jacket, zipping it as high as it could go. He felt warm wearing Eren’s coat, and he couldn’t tell if it was because of the extra layer or because Eren had recently worn it.

“Yeah… okay… I will… see you soon.” Eren hung up, putting his phone back in his back pocket. He walked back to the group, nodding towards the officer. He turned to Armin, having a new expression on his face.

“I’m gonna kill Jean.” 

“Huh?”

“Mikasa’s ‘study group’ wound up being a movie night at Jean’s. I can’t _believe_ she went to his house in the first place. She knows how awful he is.” Armin rolled his eyes. “Guess we’re going to his place.” Eren grumbled. His hatred for Jean became such a norm that he almost forgot how their enmity even began.

Armin was about to respond when the police officer began to speak.

“Alright, thanks Mr. Hannes.” The man nodded, looking back at the boys. “Let’s get going, kids.” The officer walked back to his car, unlocking the doors. 

“At least we weren’t handcuffed.” Eren whispered to Armin, smiling as he walked past him. Armin turned to Hannes, who watched Eren walk away.

“I just wanted to say thanks, for having our backs. Eren appreciates it too, he’s just too angry to admit it.” Hannes looked down to meet Armin’s eyes, smiling.

“It was nothing, you got too much to look forward to for it to be ruined by an arrest. I’m sure he appreciates you holding him back.” Armin snickered at Hannes’ last remark.

“I think the _world_ appreciates it more than he does. I don’t think he’d be alive if he didn’t have someone holding him back every now and again.” Hannes and Armin turned when they heard a loud noise coming from Eren’s direction.

“I don’t need your help getting in! I’ve been in a car before-”

“Would you just get in?!”

Armin sighed, rubbing his face. Sometimes he felt like Eren’s babysitter rather than life-long friend. Eren gave almost everyone a hard time for no reason, but Armin wouldn’t want him to change at this point.

“I think that’s your call. I’ll see you on Monday, kid.” Hannes watched Eren with caring eyes. He’s watched these kids grow up, yet they’ve never strayed too far from their true personalities.

Eren will always be defiant, he supposed. But he respected the kid’s passion. 

Armin walked towards the car, nudging Eren to get inside. He hoped that Mikasa and Jean wouldn’t be too upset with them.

God this was a long night.

  
  


* * *

  
  


When Jean opened his door, he was expecting Eren and Armin to be escorted by a police officer. What he wasn’t expecting was Eren to be glaring holes into his head as he walked in.

“Are you… their father?” The officer eyed him up and down, making Jean nervous. He didn’t look that old, did he?

Armin stared into his eyes as he waited outside his doorway. The kid looked two degrees away from becoming a popsicle.

“Something like that… you guys can come in.” He opened the door more, moving as Eren and Armin walked inside. The officer looked inside the house before taking a step back, fixing his hat.

“Well, do me a favor and let whoever’s in charge know that they got off with a warning for vandalizing school property.” Jean’s eyes widened, turning around to wear the two teens sat themselves down on his couch.

He expected that from Eren, but Armin? As he met their eyes, Eren looked away and glared at his coffee table. Armin looked at the ground in embarrassment. At least he still kept his shame.

“Sure. Thanks for bringing them here.” The officer nodded at Jean’s gratitude, and soon he was headed back to his car. Jean watched him leave before closing his front door. He turned back to the pair, still seated on his couch. 

They were _so_ lucky that his mom was staying over her friend’s apartment in the city.

“Am I really about to lecture you two?” Jean crossed his arms, fully facing the teens that just invaded his house. Maybe he was as old as everyone thought.

“Shut up, Jean. We don’t need a lecture.” Eren crossed his arms as well, leaning back into his seat. For someone who complained about the leather couch, he sure seemed to be making himself comfortable.

“You know what- you’re right. You barge into my house past midnight, why should I say anything?” He turned towards his staircase, moving his eyes away from the culprits. “Mikasa! They’re here!” Armin and Eren’s eyes widened, before hearing the stairs creak in rushed steps.

“You two better have a good explanation for all of this-” She paused once she entered Jean’s living room, eyeing the boys. “-why are you covered in red and blue paint?” Mikasa’s comment caused them to look down at themselves. They had faint traces of their activity all over themselves, especially on their hair and faces. Armin turned to Eren in confusion.

“You didn’t tell her over the phone?” Armin’s question made Eren grunt, putting his head back against the sofa.

“She wouldn’t have let us- or should I say _me_ \- come here if she knew we spray painted the school.” Mikasa rolled her eyes, standing next to Jean and copying his pose.

“That’s not true, if anything if you needed my help you should’ve told me the truth. I can’t believe you got Armin wrapped into one of your pranks.” Mikasa sounded worried and accusatory. Armin sat up, trying to stand his ground.

“He convinced me to spray paint, sure. But I decided to do Mr. Smith’s head… and make it a little funny.” Armin and Eren both smiled at the memory. Eren began to pull out his phone.

“Dude, I still have the picture on my phone-”

“Guys, come on!”

The two looked up at Jean’s interruption. Eren rolled his eyes, putting his phone back in his pocket. Armin brought his gaze to his lap, making Jean sigh. For someone who was just in a police car, the blonde looked too guilty to be in his current predicament. Mikasaa walked towards the two, and sat down on the coffee table.

“Look, you guys already know you shouldn’t have done it. Why did you do it in the first place?” Mikasa’s question made Armin turn to Eren with a tired expression, causing Eren to sit up straight.

“It sounds stupid _now_ but I have a bet with Sasha and Connie-”

“Of _course_ it’s Sasha and Connie.” Jean interrupted with a sigh , putting his palm to his forehead.

“You risked jail time for some bet?!” Mikasa stared wide-eyed at her brother, who finally seemed shameful for the first time that night.

Jean left the room and walked into the kitchen, grabbing two washcloths and wetting them. He came back into the room to find Mikasa giving the two her ‘stare’. It reminded him of his mother; which is something he’d typically say out loud if not for their current situation.

He walked up to Armin first, rubbing his hair with the cloth to get some of the paint out. The blonde didn’t seem to mind, seeming too tired to react. It eventually fell into his lap, which was where he kept his gaze. He then tossed the other cloth in Eren’s direction, walking back to his original spot before speaking.

“Ya know, the movie was just starting to get good and my room-”

“I’m sorry, your _room_ ? Kasa you went to his _room_? What the hell happened to your ‘study group’?” Eren was hunched over. glaring at both Mikasa and Jean. His sister rolled her eyes, standing up.

“We finished studying about an hour ago. Jean suggested a movie and I thought I’d give you and Armin some alone time. Clearly _that_ was a mistake.” Eren crossed his arms again, this time moving his full attention to Jean, making sure his glare was extra angry.

He really hated Jeaan.

Mikasa headed towards the stairs she previously came down from, turning her head towards their current host.

“If they can sleep down here tonight I’d be happy to finish the movie, Jean.” That definitely got both Jean and Eren’s attention. The boys made eye contact before Jean shrugged and followed Mikasa upstairs, but not before turning around and gesturing towards the pair.

“Sleep well, and make sure Armin get’s the paint out of his hair before he gets it all over the leather.” Jean winked before practically racing up the stairs, making Eren’s stomach turn. He sat up, cracking his neck and turned to Armin.

“Dude, you still awake?” Armin made a weak noise, which to Eren indicated he had very little time before his friend clocked out for the night. He scoffed, standing up with his washcloth and began rubbing it on Armin’s face and hair.

“How’d you get _this much_ on your head? You look like one of my old art projects.” Armin leaned his head where Eren’s hands held his head in place; he wasn’t used to this much excitement and it was definitely wearing him out.

He kept wiping Armin’s face and hair until there was no paint left on his head. He put the washcloth down and ruffled Armin’s hair. He had a habit of doing that, and he didn’t plan on ending it any time soon.

“You tired?” Eren questioned, and received a nod.

He went back to his original seat, grabbing Armin and pulling him until he laid against his chest. If he was forced to sleep on Jean’s leather couch, he was gonna try to be as comfortable as possible.

He felt Armin pull himself up, crossing his arms underneath his head as he laid on top of Eren. He let himself lay one hand on Armin’s back and the other underneath his own head, looking up at the ceiling.

“Thanks for coming with me, and helping me out of trouble. We totally won that bet. What do you wanna do with the 200 bucks?” Eren rubbed his hand up and down Armin’s back as he spoke.

“We could splurge on movies and snacks.” Armin’s suggestion was muffled by Eren’s shirt, but still managed to speak somewhat clearly.

“True… or beer. Jean or Sasha could hook us up if we asked nicely enough, especially if you asked them.” Eren looked down, playing with the cloth of his own coat that Armin was still wearing. “Wanna keep the jacket? I don’t really wear it, plus your jackets never work.”

Armin turned his head directly into Eren’s chest, nodding without showing his face. Eren could tell his friend was blushing, making him pat the blonde’s back before looking back at the ceiling.

After a few minutes of silence, Eren felt Armin’s breathing become steady. Good thing that Armin fell asleep; Eren felt like he could stay up for another few hours. He heard footsteps coming from the staircase, and Eren turned his head to see Jean approaching them with a blanket.

“I felt bad leaving Armin without a blanket, he seemed cold when he came in.” Jean was blushing as he spoke, making Eren raise an eyebrow. Jean was awkward around his closest friends, and it never made sense to him.

He watched as Jean put the blanket over the blonde, meaning that most of Eren’s top half went uncovered. But he didn’t mind, he didn’t need a blanket anyways. Eren rubbed his face, watching Jean fix the blanket until it covered all of their blonde friends. He cleared his throat, catching Jean’s attention.

“Thanks for letting us stay the night. I don’t think Armin would’ve made it home in time.” They both took a glance at their friend, who remained fast asleep. Thank God he was a deep sleeper, otherwise Armin would’ve heard him _thanking_ Jean; how embarrassing.

Jean scoffed, standing up straight and turning his gaze to his coffee table. They were both embarrassed, but at least Eren had the dignity to look him in the eyes. He would’ve called him dickless if he wasn’t letting them crash on his couch.

“Whatever… and don’t worry, since Mikasa crashed in my room I’m sleeping on my mom’s bed.” Eren quickly turned his head, looking directly at Jean despite his gaze being elsewhere.

“Be honest, are you into her?” Jean blushed at the question, turning and glaring at the brunette.

“N-no! I’m not some sort of creep!” Eren rolled his eyes, propping his head onto his hand.

“Well, are you into Marco?” That question made Jean’s face beet red, his eyes widening.

“Will you shut up and go to bed?! Just be lucky I didn’t make you sleep outside.” As Jean raised his voice, Eren looked down and was surprised that Armin had barely budged.

“Whatever, man. Just be lucky I didn’t kick your ass when I got here.” Eren's response prompted him and Jean to glare at each other, before hearing Armin move underneath the blanket. They turned and watched the blonde situate himself until his head was flat against Eren’s chest, turnt outwards where Jean could see his face. Jean sighed, turning away.

“I’m going back upstairs. Don’t be expecting a gourmet breakfast when you wake up.” Eren returned his gaze to the ceiling.

“Goodnight Jean-boy!” Eren sang while he spoke, causing Jean to yell ‘shut up!’ in his general direction.

Eren hoped that Armin would wake up in a good enough mood to convince Mikasa to help him make pancakes or something. He really needed pancakes after a night like this.

If not, that’s what Jean was for.

**_FIN_ ** ****

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> any suggestions for what i should write next? let me know. i mainly do eren/armin stuff but i'm happy to do anything :). yes, i'm planning another eremin fic lol- but currently i'm thinking of a plot for a whole series! hopefully i can figure it out soon.
> 
> enjoy your day!


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